Denial
by Rose Stetson
Summary: It was just a river in Egypt, wasn't it?
1. The Morning After

**Denial**

_It was just a river in Egypt…right?_

_Disclaimer: I haven't owned it in the past, I don't own it now, and it's doubtful that I will own it in the future…but a girl can dream, right?_

_Humor/Drama_

**The Morning After**

Jack O'Neill awoke, the sun's rays aggravating his already pounding headache. "Ugh!" He said, rolling off of his stomach and onto his back. He brought his palms to his eyes, trying to shield them from the sun's light, but as he did so, he saw the gold wedding band that adorned his left hand. He stared at it, surprised.

He must have placed his old wedding ring on his finger in a moment of drunken sentimentality he reasoned with himself, even though he was certain that he was lying. However, the alternative, that he had up and married someone while he was drunk, seemed too overwhelmingly stupid to deal with.

In any case, he decided that it didn't belong there, so he took the ring off and placed it on his nightstand. He'd deal with it after he cleared his head a little.

He walked into the kitchen to find Teal'c brewing a pot of strong coffee. Almost instantly, he was handed a cup of the steaming liquid. "Thanks, T."

The Jaffa nodded before squinting at his own cup of coffee. "I do not understand why humans of the Tau'ri would subject themselves to this kind of torture voluntarily."

"You know, T…at this point, I'd have to agree with you, but…by the time the hangover's gone, I'll think you're crazy."

Teal'c just shook his head. Though he was now freed from his dependence on symbiotes, and therefore was much more like his human friends, he still didn't understand much about Earth culture. He had pretty much given up on ever understanding it.

"Teal'c…do you remember anything that happened last night?" He asked, casually.

"I do not."

"Yeah…me either." He said, a nagging sense of wrong-doing on his conscience.

--

The coldness of the porcelain on her cheek was the first sensation she awoke to. The second was the nausea that flooded over her as she opened her eyes. Sam grabbed the sides of the toilet bowl and pulled herself up in time to release the contents of her stomach. As she raised her head, she noticed the sparkle from the diamond ring and wedding band that she wore on her left ring finger. , she thought, her eyes widening.

She wiped her mouth, and stood up. As she did so, she realized more fully that all she wore was a man's white, collared, button-down shirt that came midway down her thighs. Double , she thought to herself.

She rinsed out her mouth and set out into the hallway in search of her clothes. She didn't have to go far before finding her shoes. A few steps more into the hallway revealed a slip. Another few steps, her dress, and so on.

The thing that horrified her the most, however, was the fact that each stitch of clothing was accompanied by its male counterpart…and the trail ended at the end of the hallway between two open doors. The one on the right side of the hallway was her commanding officer's room, and the one across from it was the guest room. She took a deep breath. This was going to get sticky.

Embarrassed, she quickly gathered up her clothes and hurried to the guest room, hoping that it was empty…or that it would hold the key to the wedding and engagement rings on her left ring finger. Somehow, she realized that either way she would be disappointed. After all, she knew that she had drunkenly married one of her team mates…of that she was relatively certain. Unless there was someone that she barely knew lying in the guest room. Almost instantly, she dismissed that notion. Hopefully, that was not the case.

Then again, hopefully that was the case.

She took a deep breath and hurried into the guest room. A quick sweep of the room indicated that there wasn't anyone in there.

That meant she had spent the night in the other room…didn't it? And from the way the clothes were strewn around, she could only imagine how the night had gone after the…ceremony.

Trying desperately to push the nagging suspicion from her mind, she shed the shirt and donned the articles of clothing she'd collected.

There was a groan and she turned, mortified to find a hung-over Daniel lying on the floor behind the bed. She couldn't see much of him, but what she could see terrified her. He was not wearing a shirt.

She'd married Daniel. Almost immediately, she stuffed the rings into the first place she could think to place them: in her bra.

As much as she loved Daniel, it was in NO way a romantic feeling. She shuddered. She must have been VERY drunk to become Samantha Jackson. And to…she gulped, consummate that relationship.

Her head swam with dizziness and she left in search of coffee to clear her head.

--

"Carter."

Sam smiled; it looked more than a little forced. "Sir."

"Major Carter, how do you fare?" Teal'c asked, reaching for another of the coffee mugs he had gotten out for the team. He poured some of the strong coffee into it for her.

"I think I'd be better if I could at least remember what happened last night." She admitted.

Jack's heart started pounding as he remembered the ring on his nightstand. She wasn't wearing a ring, but that didn't mean that she hadn't done what he had done…

"Something happen last night?" Jack asked as casually as he had asked Teal'c about what had happened the previous night.

"Oh…no…I…I always feel that way when I have a hangover." She said, trying to sound natural as she drank her coffee. Her eyes darted to Jack's face when she saw what she thought was a flicker of emotion. Relief? She asked herself. Suddenly, she was terrified. What if she had totally just come to the wrong conclusion? She paled at the thought.

"Carter, you okay?"

"I'm fine." She said, before ducking into another drink from her cup of coffee.

Meanwhile, part of him was fighting back sweet relief and bitter disappointment from showing on his face.

"Where's Daniel?" He asked, trying to hide his reaction.

She tensed at the name of her new 'husband.' "I…I'm not…I mean…"

"Hey guys…" The groggy archaeologist greeted.

"Coffee?" Sam asked, reaching for the coffee pot and the last empty mug and trying to distract everyone from her nervous agitation.

"Yeah…thanks." He accepted the cup after giving her a small smile; it seemed innocent in nature, but after what had probably happened after the drunken wedding, she was sure that his intentions were MUCH less than innocent. Or…he didn't remember any more than she did. She REALLY hoped it was the latter.

"So…do YOU know what happened last night?" Jack asked. He, alongside Teal'c and Sam, looked at Daniel, eyes full of curiosity.

"Why're you looking at me?" He asked, looking over the rim of his mug at them.

"Because you're the only one who hasn't answered the question yet."

"Well then, you're wasting your breath. I don't know anymore than the rest of you seem to know."

All three of the expectant team members sighed.

"So…nobody took pictures?" She asked, almost wanting to find proof that she had married Daniel. She was fairly certain that she couldn't legally marry Teal'c, and while no civilian court of law would take issue with her marrying Jack, the military courts would view it differently.

"Not that I know of." Jack said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"For what reason do you have such an urgency to discover what transpired at last night's festivities, O'Neill?"

"Hey! I didn't ask the question." He defended.

"I only asked the question because you seemed curious about what happened last night." She retorted.

Teal'c and Daniel looked at one another. "So…breakfast?"

"I will assist you, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said, rising in conjunction with Daniel.

They turned their backs on the couple, and Sam looked at the dark liquid in her mug. Just because she had done something stupid…she didn't have a valid excuse for the way she had treated Jack.

"Look, sir…I'm sorry. I just…I like to be in control. But…if I can't remember what happened last night, I can't control my reaction when someone tells me what I did."

He nodded, now staring at his own cup of coffee. "And even if my head is about to explode, I shouldn't bark at you for your natural curiosity."

"So…all's forgiven?" He asked, looking up from his coffee.

She couldn't help but smile. "Yeah."

"Good."


	2. Tangled Lives

_I just thought that in response to Virago500's lengthy message on AF regulations, I should clarify...I don't want it to seem like Janet is aiding Sam in a courtmartialable offense, and I don't want it to seem like Sam is necessarily being insubordinate. I just want people to realize that it isn't only Jack O'Neill who manages to get people to look the other way for a little while at which time the person in question can better wrap his or her head around what is going on. This is a revision of chapter two. Thanks._

_--_

Sam sat in her lab, nibbling at saltine crackers. It was a one-night stand, she kept repeating to herself. I can't possibly be pregnant…just my imagination playing tricks on me…it was a one-time fling. "It's impossible!" She said aloud, looking beyond the objects on her desk.

Unfortunately, she muttered it just as Jack O'Neill strolled into her lab. Her mantra had somehow made her morning-sickness-like symptoms intensify, and now she was at the peak of one of her waves of nausea. Another instance of the perfect timing her commanding officer was capable of. "What's impossible?" He asked, looking around her lab.

"Nothing, sir." She said, swallowing bile. Phew, she had escaped the storm.

He walked up to her desk and leaned over the contraption she had been studying. His musky male scent wafted over to her, and her head swam in dizziness. That smell was connected with memories better kept under lock and key: the 'sweet little tank top number' incident involving the Virus of the Touched, the moment after she had interrupted the za'tarc testing when she had leaned so close to him that she could have tasted him, wordlessly asking Teal'c to look away as she let her head lay on his shoulder as she sought peace and solitude from the physical changes and pain that had encompassed her body after her time in Nirrti's machine, and many, many fantasies that accompanied each of these events.

However, it was such a strong smell that her stomach churned again within her. Jack O'Neill overwhelmed her senses and she ran out of her lab and toward the women's bathroom down the hall. Before she knew it, she was pulling her head out of the toilet bowl in the restroom. She quickly wiped her mouth and washed her hands after flushing the contents of her now-empty stomach down the toilet. She walked toward the door when a somewhat tender but still worried "Carter" was uttered.

She spun around quickly, hitting her breast against the door frame. Usually, this would have hurt for a few moments, but with the tenderness that had begun to emanate from her breasts (she was still imagining this whole pregnancy scenario), it made her grit her teeth in pain.

"Yes, sir?" She asked, having taken a deep breath and returning to a more normal facial expression.

"Do I really smell THAT bad?" He asked, his gentle teasing voice reminding her of the reason she loved this man.

WHOA! Where did that come from? She asked herself. Here she was, quite possibly married to his best friend, and she FINALLY decided to admit that she loved HIM?

This gave her an even more complicated headache. However, she managed to chuckle at his teasing. "No, sir."

"You okay?" He asked, noticing that she looked pale and sleep-deprived.

She nodded as she walked past on her way back to her lab. "I'm fine."

"Okay…" He said, hesitantly. "We have a briefing at 0730 hours tomorrow. So…don't make it a long night, okay?"

"Yes, sir." She said, hurrying into her lab. She looked at her watch: 2305. Plenty of time to get some good things done.

--

General Hammond and the three male members of SG-1 stood in various places around the briefing room. The General's stoic look caused Jack to look at his watch: 0738. He winced. They were waiting for Major Carter for the briefing to start. What was worse was that SHE had suggested the mission to P3C 468 for 'scientific' reasons. "I'm sure she'll be here any minute…" Jack said, a smile on his face that betrayed his doubt.

"D'you want to see if she's all right, Colonel?"

Any other general would have uttered those words with at least a subtle hint of sarcasm embedded within them, but not Major General George Hammond. His concern was genuine, especially since Major Carter was an incredibly responsible and talented Air Force office. She had moved through the ranks quickly because of her quick scientific mind, sharp battle skills, and impeccable professionalism.

"Yes, sir." He said, hurrying out the door.

He found her drooling on her notes, having fallen asleep in her lab.

He walked up to her, cautiously. He leaned in closely. "Major…" He whispered. "CARTER!" He yelled.

She jumped. "Sir!"

"Did you HEAR my orders last night?"

"Huh?" She asked, groggily.

"I believe I ordered you to get some sleep before our briefing this morning."

Her eyes went wide with panic as she looked at her watch: 0743.

"Damn!" She exclaimed softly.

"Carter…"

"I'm sorry, sir…I was just…and I thought I could…" She grabbed the jacket of her BDUs as she leapt out of her chair.

"Whoa, Carter…slow down there…"

As he said it, her face paled as she tried to clear her vision. The jacket fell out of her hands as she collapsed. Jack's quick reaction kept her head from hitting the floor.

A few seconds later, her eyes fluttered open. "What happened?"

"You passed out."

She tried to stand, but her knees were still a little wobbly. She began to sink again as Jack let go. He instantly replaced his arm around her waist to support her. "Oh no, Carter…you're going to the infirmary."

"But sir…"

"Ah!" He said with his pointer finger extended. "That's an order!"

"Yes, sir."

--

Three pairs of anxious eyes greeted him as he entered the briefing room. "Where's Sam?" Daniel asked, worriedly.

"I took the liberty of escorting her to the infirmary. She's been out of sorts for a little while."

"Well, in that case, the mission is scrubbed, pending the return of Major Carter." He said, getting out of his chair and returning to his office.

"Yes, sir."

Daniel, who was now gathering up papers that had previously sat scattered in front of him. "How long is a little while, Jack?" He asked, casually.

Jack looked at him, confused. "What?"

"You told General Hammond that Sam had been out of sorts for a little while. I'm asking how long a little while is."

"Why?"

"Does it matter?"

"Daniel…Carter threw up last night and passed out today…she's probably been feeling a little under the weather for the last day or so."

"Really? 'Cuz I would probably have said she's been 'out of sorts…'" He said, using air quotation marks. "For a couple of weeks."

"A couple of weeks?"

"Yeah…ever since that morning at your house. You know the one where we all woke up with hangovers and couldn't remember what we had done…"

"Right. And that has to do with this…how?"

"Jack, ever since that morning, Sam's been avoiding me. She doesn't look me in the eye anymore, she avoids coming to my office, she gives me yes or no answers to questions that don't merit it…I don't think she's telling the whole truth when she says she doesn't remember it…and somehow she thinks I'm involved."

"Right…" Jack said, skeptically. "I'm gonna see if she's okay." He said, his thumb pointing to the door behind him.

--

"I'm sorry, Colonel, I can't divulge information that I don't HAVE! Not even to you." Janet said, bustling around the infirmary.

"Doc, she's sick. What difference does it make WHAT she has? We know she has SOMETHING!" Jack said, frustrated. "Any guesses?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but you're going to have to take it up with her. I think she knows more than she's letting on, but…I can't be sure."

"Fine then, I will!" He ranted.

He turned around and hurried out the door.

Sure enough, he found her in her lab. "Carter…"

"Yes, sir?" She asked, standing quickly, arms at her side.

Jack stopped, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "You haven't done that since you were a captain, Carter…" He waved her formal stance away. "You don't have to start back up now."

She took a deep breath. "I'm…sorry, sir…I'm just…"

"Fraiser said she sent you back to your lab, but she wouldn't say what was wrong…something the matter?"

"No." She replied, hastily. "Nothing…"

"Okay…you're lying to me."

"Sir, I'd rather not talk about it right now." She said, sitting down and looking wearier than he had remembered seeing her in a long time.

"Okay…" He said, trying to discern whether or not this was a time to force her to talk or to just let her rest while she figured out what she needed or wanted to do. "I'm gonna get some cake…you wanna come with?"

The green look on her face told him everything he needed to know. "Never mind. The mission's been scrubbed until you're feeling better." He said, before walking out of the lab.

She smiled in appreciation. "Thanks, sir."

"No problem, Carter. Just get better."

The smile slipped as she watched him leave her lab. Get better, she thought to herself, yeah right.

There was no cure for pregnancy. And there was no cure for the sick feeling that washed over her every time she realized that she was carrying Daniel Jackson's child. She closed her eyes. Could this day get any worse?

Suddenly, Daniel walked in. "Sam…can we talk?"

Oh yes, this day could get worse. "Sure, Daniel, what do you need?" She asked, suddenly getting interested in the device sitting on the table.

"Stop that."

"What?" She asked, looking up at him in surprise and then swiftly away.

"That. You've been avoiding for nearly a little more than a month now, and I'm tired of it. Now, what did I do to offend you?"

"Nothing." She insisted, still refusing to look him in the eyes.

"Sam…"

"What?"

"What's up with you? You're pale, sick…you kicked Jack out of your office…"

"I did not kick him out!"

"Okay…he's worried about you, and you won't tell him what's wrong. He's taking it out on the rest of the base. What the hell is going on?"

"It's none of your damned business!" She yelled, angrily.

Daniel looked at her, stunned. "Okay…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you get so defensive."

She closed her eyes in humiliation. "Daniel…I'm sorry…"

"No, really. I…we'll be here until…until you're ready to talk." With that, he turned and left her lab.

She tensed up, angrily, before plopping back onto her lab chair, sobbing. This whole situation sucked. And she was at least partially to blame for it.

As she reached for a Kleenex on her desk, Teal'c, who had been walking by with a casual intent, could have sworn that she muttered something akin to: "Damn hormones!"

This would make interesting news, he thought to himself as he walked past her office, so as not to illicit any unwanted attention to himself.


End file.
